Therese K

I had two amazing teachers when I was in school. They made such a difference in my life, going the extra mile for their students. I got to travel to India with them and I remember getting off the plane at night and seeing all these people on the side of the road getting ready for bed. The smell hit me. A mixture of food stalls and pollution, the air was so much heavier than here. It felt wrong as I got on the bus and looked down at the people sleeping on the road side as we drove past. I also remember the colours, everywhere was so colourful. The women were so beautiful in their saris, jewels and colours, and people seemed happy even though they were poor. Walking down the street, so many people, children begging and selling things. At times it felt smothering, and other times beautiful. It was a place of contrasts, the beautiful architecture, and the masses of twisted wires. I came back to New Zealand thinking that I would never be ungrateful for anything again. From that trip I was taught that if you are given things in life, then you have a responsibility to use them. That knowledge and the example of those teachers made me want to become a teacher too.